Display container



June 30, 1942.

R. E. PAIGE DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed May 19, 1939 ZZZ-6.1

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ZZZ-GL5.

WITNESS.

June 30, 1942. R. E. PAIGE DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed May 19, 1959 3Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

NI TNESS.

June 30, 1942. R PAIGE I 2,288,205

DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed May 19, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS.

INVENTOR. BY 5% Patented June 30, 1942 UNITED STATES T QFEICE 1 Claim.

This invenion relates to new and useful improvements in displaycontainers and more particularly it pertains to such devices as arecommonly known as counter baskets.

One object of the present invention is so to construct a counter basket,that without detracting from its utility, it may be manufactured at acost below such other baskets with which I am familiar.

Another object of the invention is to provide a counter basket which maybe collapsed and setup at will and which, when in its collapsedcondition, will present a structure which is thinner and therefore lessbulky than any other such device with which I. am familiar.

One serious disadvantage of counter baskets as generally constructed isan inability of the bottom to support the contents of the basket whenthe basket is lifted from the counter or other support with theconsequence that both the bottom and goods pass through the bottom ofthe side wall structure.

It is another object of the invention so to construct the bottom of thecounter basket that the bottom cannot under any circumstances passthrough the bottom of the side wall structure.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a bottom in whichweight of the contents of the basket tends, at all times, to preventcollapsing of the basket and also serves to maintain the basket in itsset-up position.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled inthe art as the nature of the invention is better understood andreference will now be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a distended view illustrating the two blanks from which abasket constructed in accordance with the present invention is formed,

Figure 2 is a plan viewillustrating the basket in its collapsed orfolded condition.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale, the viewbeing taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line44 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the basket in its set-up form,

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the basket, a portion thereof beingbroken away,

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale takensubstantially on the line l-'l of Figure 5,

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view on an.

enlarged scale, taken substantially on the line 88 of Figure 5,

Figure 9 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 9-9of Figure 7, and;

Figure 10 is a detail transverse sectional view illustrating a slightlymodified form of the invention.

A basket constructed in accordance with the present invention in itspreferred'form, is formed from two blanks which are designated A and Bin Figure 1 of the drawings. The basket is preferably of hexagonalshape, the side wall structure being formed by six hingedly connectedpanels.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the front wall and the rearwall are each formed from a single panel while each end wall is formedfrom two panels. This construction provides a container which in itsset-up position is of a length greater than the distance between thesingle panel front walland the single panel rear wall.

The six panels which when connected together form the side wallstructure are divided into two groups, three of which are carried by theblank A, the other three being carried by the blank B.

The three panels carried by the blank A are designated l2 l4 and N3, thepanels being formed by means of the score lines l8. The center panel Mforms the rear wall of the finished container and this panel has anextended portion 20 which in the finished container carries display oradvertising copy. Although the extended portion 26 is shown as ofrectangular form, it is to be understood that it may be of any desiredshape.

The blank is further scored as at 22 and 24 which score lines extendinwardly, one from each of the score lines 18, but which have theirinner ends spaced from each other. Connecting the inner ends of thescore lines 22 and 2 3, there is a out line 26 which is slightly off-setwith respect to the score lines 22 and 24 but which is paralleltherewith and which is connected to the score lines 22 and 24respectively by relatively short cut lines 28 and30.

The end cut lines .28 and 30 extend beyond the out line 26 and areconnected by a cut line 32. This construction provides a tab 'or tongue34 which extends forwardly of the container and a relatively smaller tabor tongue 36 which projects rearwardly of the container when it isset-up, the tongues or tabs 34 and 36 hinging about the score lines 22and 24 when the device is set-up. This construction also provides arelatively large keeper opening 38 near the bottom edge of the panel Mwhich forms the rear wall of the container when set-up.

The blank B is scored along the lines 40, 4|, 42, 43 and 44'. Thisscoring of the blank B divides the same into three panels 44, 45 and 46,two glue flaps 41 and 48 and a single panel bottom member 49. The blankB is also cut as at 50 and these out portions 50 are connected by theheretofore mentioned score line 44. The bottom member 49 has aprojecting tab or tongue 5|, the purpose of which will be hereinaftermore specifically set forth.

The score line 44' provides a hinge connection between the bottom member49 and the panel 45 about which the bottom member swings when 7 thecontainer is being either set up or collapsed.

The container is formed by securing the two blanks together byconnecting the glue flaps 41 and 48 respectively to the ends of thepanels l2 and I6, preferably to the outer faces thereof with the bottommember 49 bent or hinged upon the score line 44 and lying between thetwo blanks in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of each ofsaid blanks A and B as illustrated in Figure 3.

By reference to Figure 1 it will be noted that the bottom member 49 isof hexagonal shape or form and as best illustrated in Figure 7, the

dimension of the body member between the two points designated C and Din Figure 1, is greater than the distance between the side walls of thecontainer at those points where the points C and D of the bottom memberengage said side walls. This construction provides a bottom member whichis of greater area than the open bottom of the side wall structure andthereby prevents the bottom member from passing through the open bottomof the side wall structure when the container is set-up. Because of thisfact, when the container is set-up, the bottom member 49 assumes acurved plane as illustrated in Figure 7, with its ends (the points C andD) exerting pressure upon the side wall structure, placing it undertension and tending at all times to move the front and rear walls 45 andI4 in a direction towards each other. This is particularly true whenarticles are supported upon the bottom of the container for displaypurposes.

Another important feature of the bottom member is that the dimensionfrom the score line 44' to the diametrically opposite edge of the bottommember is substantially equal to the distance between the front and rearwalls 45 and l4 in the plane of the attachment of the bottom member andthe lower edge of the keeper opening 38. However, the dimension from thescore line 44 to the outer edge of the tab or flap 5| is greater thanthe distance between the front and rear walls 45 and M in the plane ofthe attachment of the bottom member and the lower edge of the keeperopening 38. It will also be noted that the keeper opening is of a widthgreater than the thickness of the. stock from which the bottom member isformed. These are important features as will hereinafter appear.

In Figures 2 and 3, the container is illustrated in its collapsed formand I will now describe the manner in which it is erected in its displayposition.

With the parts in the position in which they are shown in Figures 2 and3, the tab or tongue 34 is folded, forwardly in Figure 2 which is to theleft in Figure 3, about the score lines 22 and 24. If now the blanks Aand B be moved in a direction away from each other, that is to say, ifthe side wall structure is expanded or opened up, the bottom member canbe moved to P sition to form the bottom wall of the container.

As before stated, the combined width of the bottom member 49 and the tabor tongue 5| is greater than the distance between the front and rearwalls and M in the plane of the keeper Opening 38. Therefore, as thebottom member moves to position, the tab or tongue 5| engages the rearwall |4 before it reaches the keeper opening 38. This engagement of thetab or tongue 5| with the rear wall places the entire side wallstructure under strain or tension which increases as the bottom membermoves to its final position. However, as the tab or tongue 5|. movesopposite the keeper opening 38, this tension under which the side wallstructure is placed, causes the tab or tongue 5| to enter the keeperopening 38 which it is free to do since as before stated, this keeperopening is slightly larger than the tab or tongue 5|. Furthermore as thebottom member moves to its final position, the tab 0r tongue 5| engagesthe tab or tongue 34 which is bent forwardly as heretofore described andsaid tab or tongue 34 serves to guide the tab or tongue 5| into thekeeper opening 38.

'When the bottom member reaches its final position, it assumes a curvedform as shown in Figure '7 in which position it is retained by reason ofthe engagement of the tab or tongue 5| in the keeper opening 38.

When the bottom member is in its final position, the ends thereof exertpressure upon the side Wall structure in an outward direction. Thisoutwardly directed pressure tends to contract the container in adirection which moves the front and rear Walls toward each other thuspreventing displacement of the tab or tongue 5| relatively to the keeperopening 38.

The modified construction illustrated in Figure 10 consists of formingthe bottom member 60 of a separate piece of stock and securing it to thefront wall M by a relatively small glue flap 6| instead of forming itfrom an integral extension of said front wall.

I prefer however to employ that form in which the bottom member isintegral with the front wall since it eliminates the glueing operationand thereby reduces the cost of manufacture of the container.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the present inventionprovides a novel display container of the counter basket type in whichthe bottom member cannot be forced through the open bottom of the sidewall structure either during the setting up operation or under theweight of articles within the container when it is set-up. Thus, theconstruction permits of movement of the basket from place to place evenwhen filled with articles without danger of collapse of the bottom wallor side wall structure.

Furthermore, the novel structure provides a knockdown or collapsiblearticle which when in its collapsed form presents a relatively thinnerstructure than ordinary containers of this type since it includes butthree thicknesses of maextension of one of the side walls, thuseliminating a glue flap to attach the bottom wall to the side Wallstructure.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

A collapsible container comprising a continuous side wall structureincluding a single front wall panel, a single back Wall panel having akeeper opening therein, a hinged tab extending from the lower edge ofthe back wall panel, a tab or tongue projecting from the inner edge ofthe hinged tab in the direction of the keeper opening and forming thelower edge of the keeper opening side walls hingedly connected to thefront wall panel and the back Wall panel, said side walls eachcomprising a plurality of hingedly connected panels, a bottom wall, saidbottom wall comprising a single panel hingedly connected to the frontwall panel, a tongue projecting from the rear edge of the bottom wallpanel, said bottom Wall panel having a dimension in the direction of theside Walls which is sufficiently greater than the distance between theside Walls to prevent the bottom wall passing therethrough, whereby whenthe bottom wall panel is placed in bottom forming position, an outwardlydirected pressure will be exerted upon the side walls, forcing them out-Wardly and thereby moving the front and rear walls towards each other tomaintain the tongue of the bottom wall panel in the keeper opening ofthe back wall panel and by means of the weight of contents of thereceptacle, to exert a downward pressure upon the tab or tongue whichforms the lower edge of the keeper opening to rock the hinged tab uponthe lower edge of the back wall panel into bottom supporting positionbeneath the bottom wall.

RICHARD EATON PAIGE.

